Betty White: I wanted to replace Regis

Betty White thinks Regis Philbin’s decision to leave his daytime hosting duties behind at the age of 79 is “ridiculous.” During a Wednesday appearance on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon,” the 89-year-old actress joked that she’d be happy to replace the “Live with Regis and Kelly” regular, if only she had a little creative control.

“Well, I think that’s just ridiculous,” White said of Philbin’s planned exit. “I wanted to replace him. I offered to replace him.”

“You should,” Fallon told the “Hot in Cleveland” star.

White then explained why that wouldn’t happen.

“The first thing I was going to do was fire Kelly,” she deadpanned. “Somehow they didn’t go for it.”